Did You Resolve to Become a Better Bread Baker in 2010?Try My Artisan Bread Baking Tips!

My Classic Farmhouse White with A Few Cups of Whole Wheat Flour Tossed In

I recently spent some time updating the Ten Tips on How To Bake Better Artisan Breads at Home post I wrote back in 2005, and it was interesting to see the little ways my bread baking has changed over the past four and a half years.

I'm still following most of the tips, though I don't use my beautiful wooden bread bowls as much as I used to—preferring to let my dough rise in straight-sided plastic containers with snap-on lids instead—and I rarely bother making steam in the oven anymore. I've also started baking all of my pan loaves (these Chicago Metallic commercial loaf pans are the best) on a hot baking stone to simulate the 7-foot wide ceramic hearth deck oven waiting for me in our almost finished commercial kitchen. The results are fantastic.

If you're a new bread baker looking to improve your loaves, you might take a look at the tips—which are simply things I've learned that have made my breads better. And if you're already a seasoned bread baker, I invite you to share your own tips in the comments section.

And you're all invited to come bake with us over at A Year in Bread! Our first offical year of baking is long since past, but my best baking pal Beth (aka kitchenMage and author of the wonderful book, Picture Yourself Cooking with Your Kids) and I are still sharing recipes and information on the site—and hoping to do a lot more posting there in 2010.

You'll find our complete index of recipes on A Year in Bread here. And if you have a beloved bread recipe, we hope you'll consider sharing it in our Friday Favorites series, which you can read more about here.

Meanwhile, Beth and I are giving away a copy of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day, a new book by the authors of the bestselling Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. You can enter to win here.

Ready breadie? You might enjoy some of my other bread recipes:
How To Make Pita Bread
Oatmeal Toasting Bread
Parisian Four Hour Baguettes
No-Knead Crusty Freeform Bread
Italian Rosemary Raisin Bread
Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Whole Grain Cottage Cheese Bread
Italian Black Olive Cheeks
Carrot Herb Rolls (and a bargain bread book for beginners)
Three Onion & Three Cheese Pizza (pizza dough is a great place to start)

Not quite ready for yeast yet? My Beyond Easy Beer Bread requires five minutes of work and rewards you with a warm, crusty loaf in under an hour. Year after year, it's the most popular recipe on Farmgirl Fare.

© 2010 FarmgirlFare.com, the flour covered foodie farm blog where no knead can be good, but sometimes the act of kneading by hand is the very best part of bread baking.